POLICE say they are delighted with the success of the first Community Impact Day which took place in Middlewich yesterday.

Officers blitzed the town with high profile patrols, targeting specific areas which have suffered particular problems.

Members of the police Community Action Team (CAT) made sure they got themselves seen as they spent a long day dealing with regular complaints in Middlewich, starting at 8am and working right through until 8pm.

The day began with a visit to all the town's schools and initiatives to help sort out parking and traffic issues which present a risk to children crossing the road.

Officers then carried out a sweep of the town with educational welfare officers to pick up any truants.

Police used speed guns to target drivers on notorious roads through the town like Booth Lane, visited areas which have suffered complaints of anti-social behaviour and talked to residents about problems which regularly blight their lives.

Community Safety Wardens got involved with the multi-agency initiative and the Congleton Borough Council's mobile CCTV van was utilised to provide extra cover.

PC Amy Fletcher, who is the CAT officer responsible for Middlewich, said: 'The police were targeting different areas in Middlewich, concentrating on public reassurance and dealing with the issues we regularly receive complaints about, such as littering and nuisance youths.

'But it is mainly to get bobbies on the beat so members of public and business owners can pass on their views and comments to us.'

CAT leader Sgt Gareth Woods was thrilled with the success of the operation. Speaking from on the beat in Middlewich, he said: 'It's been really good - I'm quite delighted with it to be honest.

'It's the first one we have done in Middlewich, it's an experiment, but it has been really successful.

'We were out at 8am to go round all the schools where we were looking at parking issues. Then we went and we found three truants, who were quite shocked to see us.

'There was a Pubwatch meeting which we included in the day.

'We have done parking enforcement on Wheelock Street and we joined Dane Housing officers and environmental health officers on a couple of house calls.

'We have also had the speed camera out.'

Sgt Woods added: 'We have had comments like, 'you should be here everyday', which you expect, but the public response has been very good.

'People seem to have a perception that there are no police in Middlewich and the only officers come from Northwich, which is not the case.

'People have been talking to us about what problems there are in the town, but to be honest they haven't told us anything we don't already know. That's good because it tells me Amy Fletcher is doing a good job.PC

'And it shows the people of Middlewich that there are police targeting the problems they have got.'

Sgt Woods said more Community Impact Days were planned in Middlewich after the success of yesterday's patrols.